(
HUDSON, N.Y., May 12, 2020) – Sixteen creative workers will share a total of $8,000 in stipends in a second round of funding from the Hudson Arts Emergency Program, a community-funded, WPA-style project, supporting individual artists for projects that speak to life in Hudson during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.
The first round of funding awarded $2,000 to four artists, bringing the grand total of artists to date receiving aid to 20, sharing a total of $10,000.
“We were thrilled and impressed by the thought and imagination that artists displayed in their applications, so we decided to cast as wide a net as possible in the current round of funding,” says Seth Rogovoy, who leads the Hudson Development Corporation (HDC) Emergency Cultural Task Force, from which this program emerged.
Projects receiving funding include painting, photography, installations, musical compositions, performance, dance, field recordings, and video.
Individuals receiving $500 stipends include:
- Victor Bloom, composition
- Valerie Shaff, photography
- Marc Scrivo, “Hudson for Trees,” photography, field recordings, documentation
- Rebecca Borer, webcast
- Alison Fox, painting
- Victoria Sambunaris, photography
- Sondra Loring, dance
- Emily Smith, composition and performance
- James Autery, video
- Lydia Rubio, visual arts
- Jeremy Bullis, sculpture/installation
- Suzanne Snider, oral history
- Jane Ehrlich, visual arts
- Pauline Decarmo, visual arts
- Louise Smith, mural
- Elise McMahon, video
Previous recipients included:
- Cat Tyc, poetry
- Spencer Bambrick, installation
- Timothy McDowell, photography and video
- Sam Meyerson, mural
More awards will be issued pending additional contributions to the Hudson Arts Emergency Fund. Artists and creative workers are encouraged to download and complete the simple application form available at reimaginehudson.com.
A project developed by the Hudson Development Corporation (HDC) Emergency Cultural Task Force, the program seeks to create a means to assist creative workers in Hudson by supporting projects that would benefit both them and the greater community via meaningful work during this time when their earning potential has been greatly impacted if not totally eliminated. Creative artists are often ineligible for government aid programs that are based on job losses rather than loss of income and opportunity.
Funding for the project relies on donations from individual and organizational sponsors. Stipends are awarded in multiples of $500, depending upon the scope of the projects and the availability of funds.
Contributions to the artist emergency fund can be made via PayPal at reimaginehudson.com or by sending a check made out to Hudson Development Corp. with Arts Fund in the memo line, mailed to:
Hudson Development Corporation
Attn: Hudson Arts Emergency Program
1 North Front St.
Hudson NY 12534
The program is administered through the HDC, which is a 501C3 and therefore equipped to collect tax-deductible contributions and to distribute funds for such a program. All funds raised will go directly to individual artists, with a very small amount set aside for administrative costs.
With input from the public and the HDC, the program was created by the Emergency Cultural Task Force, led by Seth Rogovoy, working in tandem with Linda Mussmann, Jonah Bokaer, and HDC executive director Branda Maholtz.